The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. More particularly it relates to a vehicle lamp which has a reflector, a light source, a lens plate, an optical element for deflecting light beams reflected from the reflector.
Such a vehicle lamp is known from German Offenlegungsschrift 3,336,178. This vehicle lamp has a reflector in which a light source is inserted and whose light exit opening is covered by a lens plate. On its inner surface pointing towards the reflector, the lens plate has optically active elements in the form of cylindrical lenses. The light beams reflected from the reflector are deflected by the cylindrical lenses in order to produce a light distribution closely approaching a prescribed light distribution. Because of the cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical lenses in the form of a curve of conical section, and of the scattering effect characteristic of the respective curve of conical section, the prescribed light distribution cannot be achieved. The production of a desired symmetrical light distribution is impossible, in particular, in lamps with an inclined and/or swivelled lens plate, the light maximum of the light distribution produced by such lamps rather being laterally displaced.